


Modern Day Mum

by CelynAndrews, RoanOaks



Series: Modern Day Mum [1]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Angst, Book Club, Canon Disabled Character, Co-Written, Deaf Character, Deaf Clint Barton, Domestic Fluff, Except one character, Fluff, Gen, Genderfluid Character(s), Genderfluid Loki (Marvel), Hijinks & Shenanigans, Holy hell that was a lot of characters this fic is going to be an absolute monster, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Jarvis lives, Jotunn Loki (Marvel), Kid Fic, M/M, Multi, Phil Coulson lives, Pietro Maximoff Lives, Science Bros, Snooping Avengers, Soccer Mom Loki, What Have I Done, Why Did I Write This?, Wine moms, everyone has kids, pta moms - Freeform, tonys bots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-29
Updated: 2018-04-03
Packaged: 2019-01-26 10:20:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12555296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CelynAndrews/pseuds/CelynAndrews, https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoanOaks/pseuds/RoanOaks
Summary: Loki is hiding out on Midgard. With his five de-aged children. Who all happen to love his sworn enemies, the Avengers. His life couldn't get much stranger if Loki tried.Or could it?Or the one in which Loki...Has cursed children, joins the PTA, makes friends, starts a book club, accepts himself for who he really is, and maybe, just maybe, finds love.





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for clicking on this despite its monstrous appearance.
> 
> This is certainly something...
> 
> Uhhhhh I guess just read this and hopefully enjoy it?
> 
> Special thanks to my writing machine RoanOaks for pounding this out and also being wonderful and Ily.
> 
> Roan is legit the best go send them love.
> 
> I ignored all of my homework and studying to work on this.
> 
> Word Count: 3543
> 
> -Celyn

Loki groaned as he heard the familiar yet irritating sound of his alarm blare into life. Wearily, he flicked his wrist, shooting a small green bolt of light at it to shut it up. He sat up, raking a hand through his messy hair and glancing over to make sure Slepnir hadn’t woken up in his crib. The tiny eight-month old rolled over, still completely asleep. Loki sighed tiredly. Slipping on the fluffy mint green hulk slippers by his bed, he stood and made his way over to the closet. He absentmindedly grabbed some comfortable clothing and wandered into the bathroom, still not fully awake.

 

He hopped into the shower, basking in the fifteen minute long stream of warm water as he cleaned away the grime of the past day. Once he was finally a bit awake and ready to face the day, he changed quickly. He spent a ridiculous amount of time on his hair, as it was being unruly again and refusing to conform to his comb or magic. Eventually, he gave up and just put it up into a messy bun. At least he had only wasted about an hour this morning rather than his usual two. Carefully, he made his way out into the hall and pulled out his Stark Phone to check the time. The numbers glared at him tormentingly from the phone screen. He hurried over to wake up Nari and Fenrir from their slumber to get them ready to send off to middle school.

 

He opened the door to Fenrir’s room, calling out his name and turning on the light. His second oldest son groaned and swatted a hand through the air, a burst of flame hurling itself at Loki. The Asgardian grabbed the magical flame, crushing it into nothing and shaking his shoulder. He could tell Fenrir was awake when his son’s more wolf like qualities receded, giving him a fully human, if not still a bit canine looking, form. 

 

“Fenrir, honey, wake up. You need to go to school,” Loki gently murmured, continuing into a more chiding, exasperated tone, “and what have I told you about throwing flames?” Sensing he’d be getting up soon either way, Fenrir resigned to his fate and rolled out of bed. He landed in a heap on the ground and groaned, not bothering to get up just yet. Next, Loki headed over to Nari’s room. He turned on the light and called out his oldest childs name. Nari woke up with much less of a fuss, giving Loki a lazy smile as they sat up in bed, rubbing sleep from their eyes as they shifted from wolfish to human-like.

 

“G’morning. You look pretty.” Nari softly spoke in their half asleep stupor, smiling at the sight of their father’s blue skin. Loki grinned lovingly. He was so incredibly lucky to be able to raise his family again, the right way this time.

 

“Thank you Nari. It’s time to get up now, you need to get ready for school.” Loki watched in amusement as disappointment appeared on Nari’s features. They groaned, suddenly not quite as content as earlier.

 

“I don’t want to go to school,” Nari pouted as Loki smirked. This was practically every single morning. Nari very rarely wanted to go to the hellish academia known as middle school.

 

“Really?” Loki asked. Nari nodded their head in an attempt for sympathy, giving their father puppy dog eyes. “How will you grow smart then?”

 

“I don’t need to be smart,” they said indignantly. Loki rolled his eyes. Honestly, how many times was he going to go over this with the thirteen year old? It was ridiculous.

 

“Do tell me why?” Loki responded. Nari took a moment to ponder this, and eventually decided it wasn’t worth it to argue with their father.

 

“Nevermind, I’ll go to school.” They sprang up from the bed and went to go find some clothing. Smirking triumphantly, Loki hurried downstairs to cook breakfast. After a few minutes Fenrir came down. Loki handed the twelve year old a plate of breakfast, and watched Fenrir begin to  _ wolf it down _ . A few minutes later, Nari wandered down and Loki handed them a plate as well.

 

Once the duo was done eating, their father rushed them into the downstairs bathroom and instructed them to brush their teeth and to use their magic and attempt to look more human. After they finished up, the two went to put on their shoes and coats, and then to fetch their backpacks and lunches. After this, their father loaded them into the car and drove them to school. When the chic green minivan pulled into the drop off lane, Fenrir and Nari hopped out, waving good bye to him as they ran into the school, excitedly yammering about some ridiculous school event Loki didn’t understand. He drove back home, grumbling angrily about the damned traffic. He dreaded repeating this routine with Jormungandr.

 

As soon as he got home, Loki hurried up the stairs, opening Jormungandr’s door, rushing to their bed. He began shaking their body. He flipped the light on and watched his giant snake hiss annoyedly and make a big fuss. Slowly, the reptile knit their body into a human shape. Jormungandr glared at up their smirking father, who was somehow startled yet again by Jormungandr’s blue and red eyes, which bore a striking resemblance to his. Loki had forgotten how similar they looked. Gods, he really had missed having his children in his life. Still, his resolve to force the child into wakefulness would not be budged. 

 

_ Stop with your fuss, if you dress quickly I may give you a muffin.  _ Loki signed with his hands to his deaf middle child. He watched in amusement as Jormungandr’s mood suddenly changed in the blink of an eye. They grinned widely and their eyes lit up. Unlike their older siblings, Jormungandr loved school.

 

_ Really? _ They signed back, eyes wide with joy.

 

_ Really _ . Loki confirmed and watched the snake run around wildly for clothes, the scales on their human form quickly shrinking into the skin and their eyes becoming white with striking green irises, once again rivaling Loki’s own more human set. He strolled down to the kitchen and fetched a muffin and some mice to feed his hungry little seven year old for breakfast. Jormungandr scarfed the mice down quickly before devouring the muffin down in a similar fashion, afterwards running off to brush their teeth. After they were all ready, Loki helped Jormungandr with their shoes and coat, making sure to imbue the coat with heating magic so as not to let the cold blooded child freeze in the weather. He fetched their backpack and lunch, then together they ran to the car. Giddy, with what Loki assumed was a short sugar high, Jormungandr bounced in their seat the whole time. When they arrived at the school, Loki made sure his kid was safely in line to head inside before pressing a loving kiss to their forehead and wishing them a good day at school.

 

When he got home, Loki headed upstairs to check on Slepnir, who was still fast asleep. He checked on Hel as well, and found that she was also still deeply slumbering. He always felt slightly worried whenever he had to leave the house with his young ones alone in it, even if it was only for a few short minutes. He knew his kids could easily defend themselves, what with their Asgardian origins and all.

 

Not really sure what to do with the unprecedented free time, Loki decided to start on a book that he had recently procured.

 

He read for a couple hours before Slepnir stirred into a wakefulness and began crying, signaling his need to be changed. Loki changed him, then put him down on the living room floor and allowed him to roll around and begin playing with some of the various infant toys. Hel scampered down full of energy little over an hour later, and Loki got up and ate a small breakfast of cereal with her. Next, they brushed their teeth together. After that, it was time to braid Hel’s silky soft hair up so it wouldn't get in her way as she played. The little girl sat happily in her father's lap, humming softly and kicking her legs gently.

 

As he braided, the television playing some children's channel in the background, Loki went to work on teaching Hel some more old Norse words. She was rather fluent in the language and Loki was incredibly proud. Hel was probably his most astute child, and Loki was excited to see how she would flourish when she began her studies next school year. As he taught her another word, she suddenly squealed in excitement at an ad, attention diverted from his teaching.

 

“Look it, look it, it’s Black Widow!” She cried, bouncing on her father's lap and pointing at the screen where the Avengers were currently advertising the fact that they would be at Comic-Con this year. Loki noted that the location of one of the places they would be showing up was nearby. A plan began forming in his head.

 

“Yes, Hel. I see that.” Loki smiled at Hel and his daughter beamed right back, beginning to ramble about how much she loved Black Widow. Personally, Loki didn't understand why his children seemed to like that ridiculous lot of buffoons, but he wasn't going to ruin their fun. Hel’s babble continued, switching between English and old Norse quickly when she couldn't find the correct words in one language. Loki nodded along absentmindedly, figuring he’d have to buy tickets to the panel quickly if he wanted to appease his rowdy lot of traitorous children. Easily picking Hel up off of his lap and setting her on the couch, Loki stood up and walked over to his laptop and turned it on. He watched the numbers fly for a family of six and cringed. He was  _ not _ paying that much. He'd just conjure up a few tickets magically. It didn't matter that it may set off alarms for that bumbling imbecile who called him brother, he was going to take his kids to that panel, and he was going to do it his way. 

 

With that all sorted out, Loki went to make lunch as Hel began playing with Slepnir, humming a quiet lullaby and smiling when Hel began singing along in old norse. It was almost time to feed Slepnir, so Loki allowed his body to transform into that of a woman's. Loki didn't have a very solid perspective on gender. Loki just was whatever she was at the moment. She was pretty sure she was what humans called  _ genderfluid  _ these days. And although Loki had a preference for being male, she  _ had _ spent nine months as a woman carrying Slepnir in her womb without issue.

 

Loki fed Hel and herself first quickly before proceeding to pick up and cradle Slepnir, getting comfortably situated on the couch as his mouth quickly latched onto her breast. After he had his fill, the infant pulled off and passed out a few minutes later, blissfully resting in his mother's arms. As Loki lay there, Hel climbed onto the back of the couch and began playing with her father's hair, dainty fingers weaving hair experimentally.

 

“Dad?” Hel suddenly spoke as she brushed through the hair easily. Loki wondered why she didn’t just wake Hel to do her hair in the mornings. Honestly, it took her near an hour before she finally gave up, but five minutes with Hel and her hair already looked halfway decent.

 

“Yes?” Loki asked in response to Hel’s questioning tone as she watched Slepnir’s chest rise and fall slowly as he slept.

 

“Why do we never see Uncle Thor or Grandfather Odin?” Her daughter questioned, switching to old norse as she spoke.

 

“Would you like to see them?” Loki asked in response, hoping the answer would be no.

 

“Not really,” Hel said to Loki's relief, wrinkling her nose. “Grandfather Odin sounds mean. But Uncle Thor is a superhero!” Loki didn’t need to see Hel to know her eyes had lit up at the thought of the Avengers.

 

“If you want, for your birthday I can take us all to see Thor and his merry band of heroes,” he suggested. As distasteful as it was, if it'd make her smile that widely, Loki would be willing to do just about anything.

 

“Really?” Hel questioned, her eyes going wide as she curled around Loki’s head to peer into her eyes in wonder.

 

“Only if you promise not to call Thor uncle or say my name. Remember, our family is a secret.”

 

“I promise!” Hel practically shrieked, abandoning Loki’s hair to hug Loki’s head. Loki smiled, glad to see her child happy. Together, the small group sat contently for a few more hours before Loki went to pick up the children from school.

 

She transformed her body back to it's male form to go out in public, and got the two youngest kids situated in the car. Which was a bit of a hassle seeing as he had to buckle up an eight legged excited infant and also get Hel situated in her booster seat. Then Loki went on the quest of weaving through traffic and successfully picking up his children, getting them home, getting them to start homework, and then beginning dinner.

 

Later, after his children went off to their rooms and went to sleep, Loki began a new book, Slepnir resting peacefully nearby. One of the wonderful things he had learned about Midgard since coming to love there was the vast amount of books and fact that, unlike Asgard, nobody on Midgard judged him for loving the written word.

 

He had just reached the middle of the story when Slepnir woke up with a scream. Loki groaned. It seemed his little one was hungry again. He shifted info his feminine form to feed the child, putting him back down in his cradle and changing back to masculine when it seemed he was done. Ignoring the book in favor of focusing on the infant, Loki watched Slepnir fall back asleep again. After what might've been any time from a few minutes to thirty, he looked away and got back to reading the book, falling asleep halfway through the last chapter. He was swiftly awoken once more when Slepnir decided he was hungry again.

 

This repeated on an on and off cycle, as Slepnir needed to eat around every four hours and Loki was nothing if not an attentive, dutiful mother to him. The alarm clock was destroyed the next morning when it dared to blare at the tired parent to wake him up so he could start the day. Not a minute after, his phone buzzed with a previously forgotten alert. Groaning quietly, because a phone alert almost never signaled a good thing in Loki's world, he grabbed his phone and glanced at it. As his eyes focused on the words, a stream of curses in every language he could think of fell from his lips.

 

Today was, of course, the day when Captain America and Thor would be visiting Fenrir and Nari’s school if they were able. He supposed he should be thankful it wasn't the entire team at least. The Captain, always a good samaritan, had been doing rounds through the schools of New York giving talks to youth about doing the right thing and attempting to boost favor for the Avengers. With him, he would often take a member of his team, and this week was Thors week. Loki could almost laugh at the inanity of the situation. It was just his luck that his so called brother would by chance be the other member getting so unknowingly close to his children.

 

He was mad at himself for having forgotten about the event, but he had more important things taking up his attention as of recent. Things like Hel’s upcoming birthday, taking care of Slepnir, making sure Jormungandr or Fenrir didn't destroy the house, and additionally making sure Hel didn't eat the dead rats in his freezer that were for her brother.

 

He went about his morning routine, annoyance towards himself polluting his mind. He did not want to see any member of the Avengers, much less a member who might possibly be able to discern him from years of experience dealing with his crafty ways. He knew the chances of being found out were slim to none, but anxiety still wracked his mind. Not only was that an issue, but Loki loathed that merry band of fools. They were a horrible lot and the only reason he put up with them at all was because his children loved them and he couldn't well go off and fight them and blow his cover. He grumbled to himself as he showered. This would be awful. He’d have to strap Hel into the car half past noon, buckle in Slepnir, and then he'd have to find a way to make him look less like himself so the Avengers didn't notice him, but still enough like himself that the PTA moms still recognized him. Than he’d have to make sure Hel didn't go off and cause a scene by accidentally reaping the soul of some middle school child. Today was going to be an absolute mess.

 

Of course, Fenrir and Nari had begged for Loki to come volunteer to be part of the welcoming committee and Loki couldn’t say no. Not after seeing the hopeful, shining eyes of his dear children. Plus, he had to outshine that bitch Karen from PTA. She was always trying to one up him, and he would have none of that. Showered and dressed, he groaned and went to wake his children. Fenrir once again globbed fire at him, and Loki opted to calmly eat the blast of magic this time. He really hoped this wouldn't become a daily thing, or he feared what may happen at sleepovers. Unlike their brother, Nari didn’t fuss. However, they did giggle about how pretty their father was again, and that warmed Loki's heart, which caused to irritate him. He was trying to be upset, and his adorable children had no right to interfere with his sulking like this.

 

Then, of course, he was shipping them off to school and repeating the process with Jormungandr, who was in a particularly foul mood this morning, throwing a fairly large tantrum. Eventually though, he was able to wrangle them into the car and get them calmed down and off school.

 

Next, because nothing could go right today, Slepnir woke early and caused Hel to wake up early, which in turn caused the both of them to be in a relatively foul mood along with their already agitated parent. But Loki was patient with his children and dealt with Hel’s own tantrum and hair pulling, eventually calming her by putting on a Disney movie.

 

To summarize, this day was starting horribly. Soon, the clock was nearing half past noon, which meant that shortly he'd have to go watch the ridiculous assembly attempting to motivate some middle schoolers. Loki could feel a headache forming already.  He was very, incredibly, absolutely against leaving the house, but he had promised he would come. Normally, he wouldn't care about breaking some flimsy promise, but he'd be damned if he did that to his kids. So, he changed into a gender neutral, yet still masculine looking form and got into an outfit without any of the ever present green he usually wore in it. Then, he loaded Hel and Slepnir into the car and drove off to the school.

 

Loki had been absolutely right. Watching two Avengers try to motivate pubescent children was ridiculous. They could feel the indifference from the middle schoolers as the avengers attempted to make an interesting assembly. They really only got anyone interested when they accidentally broke the floorboards of the auditorium stage with Mjolnir. Loki could see his children’s gleaming eyes, standing out from the dull, bored look of the rest of the students and thought it depressing that the only two children vaguely interested were that of a former supervillain.

 

Really, it had been quite uneventful. Loki was almost disappointed after he had built it up to be such a big thing. He hadn't even altered his form much, yet Thor had still been unable to recognize him. He wouldn't say he felt disappointed, because now he knew that his children would be safe along with the secret of his true identity, but at the same time he was slightly hurt. If Thor really cared for him all that much, why hadn't he been able to recognize him?

 

Loki only really liked the part where he got to hug his kids, greet them, and hear their excited chatter after the assembly. In the car ride home, Nari went on and on about Bruce and Tony and how they wished one of them had come instead of boring old Thor, which brought a secretly pleased smile to their father's face. In the end, maybe the day hadn't turned out to be such a bad one after all.


	2. Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I give you chapter 2!
> 
> Only six days late, as Roan keeps telling me. My sincerest apologies, my darling readers, for keeping you waiting.
> 
> Read it and enjoy it.
> 
> Once again, an extra special thanks to my lovely boo bear, RoanOaks, for working so hard and nagging me into finishing these edits. Ily.
> 
> -Celyn

Waking up was not something Loki enjoyed. He did it far too often in his opinion. The god spent many more hours being awake than asleep, and the sleep he did get was sporadically spliced throughout the day. Perhaps he should invest in some sleeping potions. Or earplugs. Maybe some anti-nightmare potions too, now that he thinks about it. Anything really, to keep him and his children asleep for more than a few hours.

 

He glared at the blaring alarm clock maliciously, taking great glee in whacking it off the bedside table with his hand and sending it careening into the carpeted ground. A smirk found its way onto his lips as it beeped no more. With the annoying racket shut up, he cautiously got out of the bed, careful to not wake the still sleeping Hel, who had a nightmare last night and had raced to his room shaking and crying. One look at the upset youth and he had invited her to climb in with him, holding her gently until her breaths evened out. Thankfully, Sleipnir had slept soundly throughout the night and was still peacefully slumbering in the crib beside the bed.

 

Loki slipped on his bright green Hulk slippers and grabbed some clothes for the day. The slippers, while initially irritating, were now one of his favorite clothing items, not that he would admit it. His kids had gotten him them last Christmas, and they really were quite comfortable. He walked to the bathroom quickly and got into the shower, scrubbing away the grime of yesterday and waking up under the spray. Since he hadn’t actually slept for more than a few minutes at a time, he felt like death warmed over. Loki didn’t bother with his hair, simply pushing it into a messy ponytail and rubbing at his puffy eyes. Loki walked into the hallway, checking the time and waking his children. Fenrir could sense his Father’s lack of sleep and found it wise not to lob fire and grumble, and instead just rolled off the bed and put on clothing in a similar half asleep stupor.

 

Loki’s heart seemed to sink into oblivion as he walked into the next room. He could _smell_ the sick as he walked over to the bed. He placed his hand on Nari’s forehead, feeling the far too hot skin. His eldest’s eyes blinked open at the feeling of their father’s cold hand and Loki smiled what he hoped was reassuringly at them, hoping they would fall back asleep after he was done checking in.

 

“You’re staying home today.” He whispered, trying not to let his concern show. Nari nodded and he placed a kiss on the burning forehead before turning and walking back out into the hall. He was greeted with the sight of Fenrir standing a few feet away, wincing.

 

“I can smell the sickness,” Fenrir stated, voice breaking as he looked at his father and he repeated the statement again. “I can smell it,” he repeated, tears welling up in his eyes before he turned tail and ran to his room, slamming the door behind him. Loki’s heart broke a little as he went to follow his son.

 

He figured he’d have to keep all the children home today. Sending them off to school wouldn’t serve a purpose if they didn't learn anything and spent the day worrying about their sibling instead. Loki cautiously opened his son's door and found Fenrir curled up in the corner, shoulders shaking as quiet sobs wracked his small frame. Unsure what he could do to help soothe his son, Loki sat on the ground beside him and pulled the young boy into his arms.

 

Fenrir only cried harder. Doing the only thing he could in the moment, Loki rested his chin on Fenrir’s head and whispered soothing words. Of his five children, Fenrir and Nari were not only closest in age, but also the closest to each other. Because of this and the fact that he was just becoming old enough to begin to understand precisely what his siblings sickness meant, Fenrir always took Nari’s sickness the hardest. Loki absolutely despised the feeling of helplessness that overcame him every time this happened. He couldn’t help, not really. He would know, he had faced grief like this many times before. But still, it _hurt_ . It hurt every fiber of his being to know that all he could do right now was hold his sobbing son and tell him it would be okay, even though they both knew it most definitely would _not_ be okay. Loki chose to ignore the fact that he was whispering those phrases just as much to himself as he was to Fenrir.

 

Nari’s sickness hung like a heavy fog throughout the house. It seemed to cling to everything and seep through the skin and into everyone’s bones. At the moment, it was all they could think about, the only thing they truly _cared_ about. Fenrir was slowly calming down as Loki stroked his hair. The father’s thoughts were revolving around the sick child as well. After a recent hospital visit, some humans had approached him and tried to talk about Nari. The mortal doctor had sent them. They had claimed to be from the Make-A-Wish foundation if he remembered correctly.

 

Loki was sure they meant well, but when they spoke about Nari there was a quiet, unspoken phrase that made the entire house uneasy. There was a sort of definite way in which they spoke about them, and their constant reassurances only served to cause even more worry. No one wanted them there with their fake claims and the pity that oozed from their very beings.

 

Loki hated when people spoke like that about Nari. As if Loki didn’t know those unspoken words. As if he hadn't cried over them. Hadn’t held his children as they cried over it. Hadn’t held Nari as they cried. The words were always there, lingering and it was all everyone in his small little family could do not to break whenever someone mentioned Nari like that.

 

Loki felt Fenrir’s sobs break into shuddering gasps and then small, light breaths. Loki almost cried too when he realized Fenrir had cried himself to sleep. He carefully lifted the boy into his bed and then Loki went about cleaning his kitchen. Him cleaning was the only thing that stopped him from breaking into sobs. Nari’s sickness crept into everyone and poisoned the house with those words that never seemed to leave him. Loki scrubbed at the stove more as the words circled loosely around in his head.

 

_‘Nari is going to die.’_

 

It would be slow and painful and Loki desperately hoped Nari would get to live some semblance of life before it happened. He didn’t know what Nari would wish for with his make a wish, but they had a few months to decide.

 

Just then, a cry rang through the heavy silence in the house. It seemed Slepnir had woken up. Loki hurried upstairs to tend to his child. A few minutes later, Hel woke up as well. As Loki held the now quiet Slepnir, he and his daughter both sat in silence, not needing to speak to understand.

 

Hel played with Loki’s hair and while he turned on a Disney movie. They watched in silence until Jormungander came down. Again, none needed to speak to understand. Loki gave Jormungandr some mice and a muffin, then they went back to watching _Frozen_. Fenrir shuffled down a few minutes later.

 

“Mum?” Fenrir called. Loki turned her head to see Fenrir.

 

“Yes?” She replied.

 

“Nari’s awake. They said they wanted some soup, if that’s okay.” Fenrir’s ear twitched as he responded, listening to see if Nari had said anything else. Loki nodded.

 

“Of course.” Loki smiled at Fenrir and went to make some soup. Loki brought it up to Nari’s room once it was done, feeding it in small spoonfuls to his child. All the children ended up coming in, Hel carrying Slepnir. Loki used his magic to create a TV and together, their family watched Disney movies with Nari.

 

The day had gone along normally. Not content or happy, but peaceful in the sense of the calm before a storm. Loki knew Nari was getting worse and would have to go to the hospital soon. Maybe he was just overreacting though. He really hoped he had been overreacting.

 

Unfortunately, this hope was quickly squandered when a few movies in, Nari began to vomit. It wasn't just vomit either, it was full of blood. Blood that was a deep red color. Loki to blanched in horror, dialing 911 quickly. Time seemed to stand still until the ambulance arrived, Loki following anxiously in with the minivan with the rest of the kids. She really wished she could be in the ambulance, but with nobody else to look after the other four children, it was something she just couldn't do. In a blur, they were in a hospital room, watching Nari as the doctors raced around to figure out what was going on. When Hel started crying, it seemed to break through the shock of the rest of the family was currently in. Soon, it seemed not an eye in the room was without tears. Loki did all she could, holding them and reassuring that Nari would be okay.

 

The next thing she knew, Loki was driving everyone home. Everyone except Nari. The doctors had told her to go home, as there was nothing she could do at the moment and the kids needed sleep. It was times like these when Loki despised having the role of a single mother, having nobody to rely on in the event of a crisis.

 

And then she was alone, her exhausted children off sleeping in their rooms. It was dark, and lonely, and Loki couldn't help but be gripped by overwhelming sorrow. And then she was sobbing, desperately covering her mouth to stifle the heaving breaths and whimpers to avoid further upsetting the kids. All the while, those damned unspoken words rung out and wrapped her mind in despair. As much as she wanted to avoid it, to deny the truth… she knew what was going to happen.

 

_Nari was going to die_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A chapter filled with much more angst, and shorter than the last one, but do not fear my dear!
> 
> Go on and leave a Kudos or Comment or something... Or hey maybe Bookmark this story and Subscribe? Thanks.
> 
> Word Count: 1714


	3. Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so, so sorry for this rather late update. Ro is absolutely wonderful and has probably written so much in the timeframe, but I only just managed to complete my part. I hope you like the chapter and it was worth the wait.
> 
> Roan says to add in that they're salty towards me bc I made them stub their toe.
> 
> <3 Cel

The next morning, Loki woke up to her alarm clock with puffy eyes and a horrible headache. She went about her regular morning routine and then sent Fenrir and Jormungandr to school. She was just glad she had been able to get the two kids into the car, even though she had had to promise to take them to visit Nari right after. Then, she had waited for Slepnir to wake. For once, she was glad for the fussy child. What with all the crying, she hadn’t slept all night, yet again. Any moment she wasn't distracted was a moment that she slipped into sleep, dreaming of Nari, crying silently.  Any moment in which she couldn't distract herself was absolute agony.

 

Loki couldn't bring herself to make any breakfast for herself. She didn't feel hungry at all. She just felt sad, rather upset, and incredibly nauseated. So, she drank about a pot of coffee to stay awake and ate some expired granola bars. As much as she would rather just lay down and sob, letting herself fall further into depression, she had to stay strong. For her kids. For her poor, sweet, terrified Nari. And even though the low quality food and drink that she consumed were evidence towards the fact that Loki was near complete rubbish about caring for herself, she wasn't a bad mother. Once Hel was awake, she made sure she was properly fed, even if it was just a bowl of cereal. One could accuse her of being many things, but an inattentive parent was not one of them. After a childhood like hers, and her first failure with her children, she was determined to be the best possible parent she could be.

 

After breakfast, Hel played with Loki’s hair while they continued their disney movie marathon. After the first two movies, Hel seemed to have grown bored by the animated tales and instead opted to sneakily grab the remote while her parents attention was elsewhere. With the push of a few buttons, the Avengers channel was up on the screen. Loki’s kids absolutely adored this channel, as it contained all of the best action reels from various fights and even showcased various interviews with the assortment of heroes. To Hels utter delight, the channel seemed to be focussing on the redheaded Russian today. Father and daughter watched video after video of Black Widow running around doing her thing. After a particularly violent clip, Loki cringed, incredibly glad that he hadn’t ever wound up between her lethal thighs while they were on the battlefield. During the commercial break, Hel gushed about the beauty and grace Natasha possessed and Loki, only slightly jealous, half listened to the four year olds nonstop babble.

 

The part of him not listening to his daughter was focusing on the fact that despite his attempts to go on about the day as if it were a regular one, it still had a certain air of forced upbeatness as they tried to forget that Nari was sick and in the hospital again. Somehow though, Loki made it through the majority of the day until it was time to pick up Fenrir and Jormungandr up from school. He even stayed strong throughout the promised hospital visit to see Nari. They stayed much later than he had intended for them to, but  he just couldn’t bear to separate his family until it was absolutely necessary. It was half past nine when he had to finally take the kids home, the exception being Nari. His eldest smiled through the pain, mostly to alleviate their siblings and fathers stress but it was still obviously very hard for them. Even as he was slowly dying, Nari still held a brave face. As much as he loathed to admit it in even the deepest, darkest depths of his mind, Loki knew that an early death was a high probability for the thirteen year old. And he was undeniably proud of his child. Their brave fight in the battle against the painful disease rotting them from the inside out was surely going to get Nari a finely deserved spot in Valhalla. And those thought brought the snag in Loki’s facade of functionality. The distraught father nearly found himself crying along with his children as they walked out of the hospital doors. It was easier to herd his children into the car than it usually would have been, but seeing the unshed tears in his dull, saddened eyes, they seemed to recognize how hard it was for Loki to leave as well.

 

The next day had in no way dulled the deep, throbbing ache Loki felt at his core, but it was just a bit easier going through the motions. And while the day was slightly better than the prior one, the evening was rather terrible. The torture was not unwelcome though. Anything to distract him from the truth. The aforementioned torture happened to come in the form of a horrible PTA meeting. Not only was Loki overtired from yet again ignoring his body’s demands for rest, but he had to actively participate in the discussion. Before he even realized it, he had volunteered to bake a ridiculous amount of goods for the bake sale in two weeks that he had forgotten about. As if he didn’t already have enough on his plate as it was.

 

Of course, that led Loki to go over the list of things he had ignored in favor of worrying about Nari. Today was Thursday. Hel’s birthday was this Saturday. He still had to prepare for that.  He had to do a lot of things to prepare for that. He was feeling rather overwhelmed by the daunting task when he remembered that tomorrow was Friday. Friday, the day of Frigga, the woman who had so lovingly raised him. Certainly a day protected by her likeness meant good things. The doctors had suggested that Nari may be ready to head home for the weekend by Friday afternoon. He smiled at that. Even when he was hidden away from the woman he refused to call mother, she was still watching over him. While the thought might’ve bothered him before, he was eternally grateful for her now.

 

Before Loki knew it, the time spilled from Thursday into Friday. She still hadn’t slept and the only thing keeping her from going insane at this point was the potent mixture of magic and coffee flowing through her veins. Following the regular routine, Loki woke Fenrir and Jormungandr to sent them to school, promising them that when they got home Nari would be there. Then she headed off to the hospital with Hel and Slepnir. The hours leading up until noon were full of mindnumning paperwork and heart wrenching talks with doctors, but when Nari was wheeled up to the three present family members in the hospital mandated chair, looking a little tired but significantly better, it was all worth it. Hel and Loki smiled at Nari, and Nari smiled right back at their mother and sister, and they all pretended to forget the truth in favor of acting like it would all work out in the end.

 

When they got home, the four of them went into the living room to continue the forever prolonged disney marathon, and they were happy. With Hel on one side, Nari on her other, and Slepnir lying in her arms pressed up against her bosom, warmth and love surged through Loki. There were tears in her eyes, but unlike recent previous times, they were not from sadness. Finally, with her mind at rest for what felt like the first time in forever, Loki’s eyes closed, and she slept.

Loki woke three hours later to an insistent child trying to squirm his way into her shirt for a meal. Even though her nap was short, she still felt rather rejuvenated. After feeding her hungry little babe, she woke up the other two children still on the couch, who must’ve fallen asleep along with her. The kids gladly ran to the car to pick up their siblings, and Fenrir and Jormungandr let out cries of glee when they spotted Nari. The evening was spent with the kids all snuggling with Nari in the middle in a pillow fort as Loki made preparations for her daughters birthday. After a home cooked meal for dinner, the mother of five was ushering each child off to bed. When she finally laid in her own, for the second time that day, she actually managed some sleep.


	4. Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rather short and updated very, very late, but it's certainly something!!
> 
> This is all my fault, I procrastinate terribly.
> 
> Go check out some other works by RoanOaks, they're absolutely wonderful.
> 
> Word Count: 1239
> 
> -Celyn

Saturday morning, Loki woke to the smell of food. This alone was enough to cause concern as it was a rather uncommon instance. The only person in the house who could cook successfully was himself, and as far as he was aware, he hadn't created any clones recently. Unsure of what else could be causing the smell, he briefly considered that perhaps he had woken up in the wrong house. However, a quick glance to his side at Slepnir proved to him that no, he most certainly was in his house. Quickly his confusion morphed into concern and he slipped on his slippers and hurried to the kitchen after making sure Slepnir would not need him immediately. 

 

The sight the ravenette was greeted with was that of his previously clean kitchen now put into full use by his children, who all smiled with false innocence and waved with nearly creepy synchronization that he didn't think to deeply on and chose to find cute. Not having a station to tend to, Hel quickly rushed over and pulled Loki to sit at the table before thrusting a plate of slightly burnt eggs and pancakes at him. Jormungandr and Nari seemed to be attempting to clean up the great mess they had all made of the room while Fenrir was finishing up with the griddle, finally turning it off after putting the slightly charred bacon and sausage he had been burning onto a plate. Despite the chaos, or maybe it was more so because of it, Loki’s heart warmed at the sight of his little ones trying so hard. As he ate his food peacefully with his children, Loki’s eyes fixed themselves on Hel. He could hardly believe that today was her birthday. 

 

When everyone was done eating, Loki found himself smirking as he placed a kiss on his little girl’s forehead. She was going to absolutely flip her lid when she realized what today's plans were. After everyone was dressed and ready for the day, the loving father herded his gaggle of young ones into the minivan. Seeing his daughters confusion in the rearview mirror, Loki simply winked at Hel. Seemingly still confused, yet clearly excited, she attempted to wink back, but ended up simply blinking over exaggeratedly instead.

 

Approximately one terrible, horrible, no good, very bad hour long drive later, the van pulled into a parking space much too far from the entrance for Loki’s personal tastes. It seemed that at long last they had reached Comicon. And while Loki had hated that damned car ride nearly as much as he resented Odin, it was all worth it to see Hels face light up brighter than a glorious sunrise on Asgard. As soon as they were out of the rolling metal deathbox of transportation, Hel leapt at her father to give him a hug full of love and appreciation. In response, the ravenette found himself smiling down at his daughter and fondly murmuring the words, “Happy birthday Hel.”

 

After they had entered the convention center, Loki was already slightly regretting his decision to go to this stupid convention. Admittedly there were certainly some positives to the situation, such as the fact that his children were happy and babbling excitedly about how much they  _ loved  _ him and that they were so, so thankful, and could they please do this more often and ohmygosh was that who they thought it was? And there was also that wonderful shine in Hel’s eyes as she jumped up and down excitedly. And Nari looked absolutely adorable, beaming up at Loki, cheeks pink with mirth. And next to Nari, gripping his older siblings hand tight, Fenrir was trying to pretend he wasn’t incredibly happy about getting to go to the con like a typical tween, but unlike his father, he certainly wasn’t a liesmith. And Loki definitely couldn’t forget the way Jormungandr was signing things back and forth with their siblings speedily and excitedly. Lastly, there was mild mannered Slepnir gurgling happily from the baby carrier on his fathers chest, eyes wide with wonder.

 

However, there were also some negatives, like, for example, the fact that he had to keep track of his five curious children four of whom were not strapped to his chest. He really did love them dearly with all of his heart, and their curiosity usually had him feeling incredibly proud, but it was another story when their curiosity could lead to them to get lost in the humongous crowd. They were excitable and happy, and they ran wild, all attempting to go in opposite directions at once. Regrettably, due to the fact that they were on Midgard in a setting that put him in extremely close proximity to the Avengers, Loki couldn’t just clone himself to keep track of each child. 

 

At one point, he happened to lose sight of Hel and he practically felt his heart stop. Luckily, she was only a few feet behind him, making him nearly cry out in elief when he spotted her once again. He had raced over to her, her older siblings in tow and lightly admonished her, telling her if she ran off like that again, he would personally see to it that she  _ never  _ left the damnable house again. After a slightly tearful hug and an honest confession of how absolutely terrified Hel’s disappearance had made the single father, she promised not to wander off again.

 

Not five minutes later, Hel had wormed away again and ran off to get cotton candy. Resignedly, Loki followed, wondering if Hel had even heard anything he had just said. He still bought the cotton candy. Well, actually... he might’ve used a bit of his magic to convince the vendor to give it to them for free, but nobody really needed to know that. As they went booth to booth, Hel babbled in both Old Norse and English with her siblings, disregarding the fact that they weren’t really supposed to understand how to speak the language.

 

By the time it was time for the meet and greet panel, Loki’s pockets were full of shrunken down bags of goodies for spoiled kids. Loki was slightly surprised that he had even made it through the day and into the large room where the Avengers were supposed to show up. And who could’ve guessed it? Midgards defenders were late. On purpose, of course. Stark never could resist adding some dramatic flare to everything he did. Loki would never admit to such thoughts out loud, but he kind of respected Starks dedication to his image. Of course, the announcer had pretended that he didn’t know where the Avengers were, but it seemed like a moot argument when the Avengers suddenly came in, Iron Man flying in with a superhero landing ™ and his oafish brother-who-was-not-his-brother brandishing Mjolnir  .

 

Loki found it all very disinteresting to be perfectly honest, but his children fucking loved it. They stared with rapt attention, Jormungandr’s eyes gleefully flitting between the five ASL translators littered amongst the stage. It seemed the ravenette’s offspring couldn’t seem to get enough of the Avengers, and Loki almost began to second guess his decision of getting VIP tickets. Of course, his children were just so happy, and seeing their smiling faces had him groaning in defeat internally as he realized that he would, in fact, suffer through more of the insufferable Avengers in order to see them exhibiting such beautiful, mirthful expressions.

 


End file.
